Sevy kayak fun
Jun. 13th, 2010 08:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andygatesThings we learn on a 15km sea paddle:
The boat is definitely good to F4 (dinghy sailors zipping around, whitecaps). Turn into big waves and punch through: it's solid: the "pointer" part of the design Just Works. Mind you, when eye-level is 2' off the water, 2-3' rollers look big, and the freaky big ones look -- well, like a scale model of a battleship in the North Atlantic. Whee!
The water gets chunky around headlands, doesn't it?
When blown up properly hard, it edges pretty well - for a barge. I had it out on the Esplanade alongside a pair of 'proper' sea kayaks, and they're so skinny! Still, apart from worrying that my bum looked big (hyooge!) alongside these half-boat-half-greyhound beasties, the Sevy still behaves itself. Top credit to Kayarchy for the excellent how-tos.
Surfing is fun in a kayak.
Over F2, the spraydeck is mandatory. It also goes around one's chest, not waist, or it's a rock-pool. I had weed and a baby crab in my lap at one stage before remembering this nugget of nous. Then they were swept overboard.
Trust in movement. You are going somewhere. When you're 500m out from the shore, it crawls by deceptively slowly.
On which note, headwinds suck. And the Exe estuary is a windy place. Get lots of paddling done during the summer highs. Again with the "blow me, it's actually a boat" thing - the Exe estuary is classic "numpty in rubber ring rescued by local fishermen" territory.
4 hours really is enough, thanks, in that sort of water. Yay for winter pulling lifts. Do people wear gloves when paddling? Also: I love my Puma running cap. All the sun protection I could ask for without looking like John Hammond.
All of the kayak's nylon top needs generous waterproofing. On flat water the odd splash is de nada; in lumpy water, every wave is going over the bow and it percolates through and slowly fills up. Still floats, mind, even hilariously full. I shall be deploying a bucket of Fabsil before the next lumpy expedition (unless you boaties have a better recommendation?).
Not many photos, because after the Aqua Dalek the wind picked up and it was all toil. You know how you can coast a bike on smooth straight roads and snap away, but offroad if you so much as look around, you're on your arse? That.
Oh, and there's a nudist beach at the far end of Budleigh Beach. That was a surprise. :)
The boat is definitely good to F4 (dinghy sailors zipping around, whitecaps). Turn into big waves and punch through: it's solid: the "pointer" part of the design Just Works. Mind you, when eye-level is 2' off the water, 2-3' rollers look big, and the freaky big ones look -- well, like a scale model of a battleship in the North Atlantic. Whee!
The water gets chunky around headlands, doesn't it?
When blown up properly hard, it edges pretty well - for a barge. I had it out on the Esplanade alongside a pair of 'proper' sea kayaks, and they're so skinny! Still, apart from worrying that my bum looked big (hyooge!) alongside these half-boat-half-greyhound beasties, the Sevy still behaves itself. Top credit to Kayarchy for the excellent how-tos.
Surfing is fun in a kayak.
Over F2, the spraydeck is mandatory. It also goes around one's chest, not waist, or it's a rock-pool. I had weed and a baby crab in my lap at one stage before remembering this nugget of nous. Then they were swept overboard.
Trust in movement. You are going somewhere. When you're 500m out from the shore, it crawls by deceptively slowly.
On which note, headwinds suck. And the Exe estuary is a windy place. Get lots of paddling done during the summer highs. Again with the "blow me, it's actually a boat" thing - the Exe estuary is classic "numpty in rubber ring rescued by local fishermen" territory.
4 hours really is enough, thanks, in that sort of water. Yay for winter pulling lifts. Do people wear gloves when paddling? Also: I love my Puma running cap. All the sun protection I could ask for without looking like John Hammond.
All of the kayak's nylon top needs generous waterproofing. On flat water the odd splash is de nada; in lumpy water, every wave is going over the bow and it percolates through and slowly fills up. Still floats, mind, even hilariously full. I shall be deploying a bucket of Fabsil before the next lumpy expedition (unless you boaties have a better recommendation?).
Not many photos, because after the Aqua Dalek the wind picked up and it was all toil. You know how you can coast a bike on smooth straight roads and snap away, but offroad if you so much as look around, you're on your arse? That.
Oh, and there's a nudist beach at the far end of Budleigh Beach. That was a surprise. :)
